SOUTH AFRICA: Kuche Safaris

[bkoenke83]

I am leaving on July 29th for my first trip to Africa and will be hunting with Kuche. I have met him here in the states and I personally know Jerry from JD Outfitters, the "free Safari with rifle purchase" guy. I have a hard time believing this review to be accurate just from knowing Jerry for the past 10 years and they type of people he ties his name to.

 

[Mike70560]

I am not a fan of what Kuche's business model appears to be. However I know a couple of people that were high bidder for Kuche's hunts at fundraisers and had great hunts. I hope this gets sorted out and nobody has their reputation unduly hurt.

 

[gillettehunter]

Unless the OP provides more context and a full report, I vote this thread gets closed and deleted.

With respect to @VertigoBE this thread should NOT be deleted. Anyone inquiring about Kuche should be able to find out readily and easily that they will share the camp with 10-25 other hunters. There is a time and a place for hunters not of my party. Generally Africa is not that place for me. Others may greatly enjoy the company. That would be part of the value of this thread.
On another note. 15 hunters or more a week through a 20 week season or more would be 300 or more hunters in a season. Perhaps 5 animals/hunter each in a week...... Well if they are shooting "trophy" animals and having short travel times as seems to be the case. Well in my mind that would tend to indicate they are buying and bringing in animals for hunters to hunt. Not all I'm sure, but many of the animals I'd bet have been brought in.
I think they offer a good value for what their hunters get. I'm sure many hunters get to go to Africa that might not otherwise of gotten the chance. This thread at least gives some points of view that should be known about before going.
Bruce

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I'm with Bruce. I think there is value to this thread beyond the worthlessness of what the original author shared. And based on the information shared by people who have had actual experiences with this outfitter, there is enough here to help someone make a decision about whether this outfitter works for what they want.

By the way... for those not wanting large groups, those situations exist. It's no secret I have been very happy with my two trips to @GAME 4 AFRICA SAFARIS, and one of those reasons is that I don't care for large groups. I believe they only take two groups at a time. During my last trip, a few weeks ago, they had a late cancellation and it was literally just little ol' me in camp for the whole ten days. I actually felt kinda guilty about all that incredible food being cooked for just me.

However, I'm a card carrying introvert. For some folks, a larger setting and more people is likely a part of the experience for them.

Just my early morning coffee deprived two cents...

 

[HookMeUpII]

With respect to @VertigoBE this thread should NOT be deleted. Anyone inquiring about Kuche should be able to find out readily and easily that they will share the camp with 10-25 other hunters. There is a time and a place for hunters not of my party. Generally Africa is not that place for me. Others may greatly enjoy the company. That would be part of the value of this thread.
On another note. 15 hunters or more a week through a 20 week season or more would be 300 or more hunters in a season. Perhaps 5 animals/hunter each in a week...... Well if they are shooting "trophy" animals and having short travel times as seems to be the case. Well in my mind that would tend to indicate they are buying and bringing in animals for hunters to hunt. Not all I'm sure, but many of the animals I'd bet have been brought in.
I think they offer a good value for what their hunters get. I'm sure many hunters get to go to Africa that might not otherwise of gotten the chance. This thread at least gives some points of view that should be known about before going.
Bruce

The problem I have with the "slamming" and "bashing" is they never hid anything from us. We asked, they told us the deal. Certain aspects of this post of "hardy any animals" leads me to believe the OP has an axe to grind or showed up in camp with a dog and cane. You are clearly either blind or in somehow sensory incapacitated to make that statement. We saw more animals than most have us have seen in our lifetime just driving into the camp, incoming from the airport at 11pm at night.

So no one thinks to ask any questions after winning as the high bidder? Winning the rifle auction? Or buying the package? You hit the nail right on the head. Kuche is a great outfit for people wanting to experience Africa on a budget less than what it costs to buy a 2-3 year old used car.

I think what bothers me most about this is Koos said several times: "I can't fix what I don't know about." Did OP voice her opinions on the food? I personally watched them bring out a vegan plate to the woman sitting across from me one night. The mini split in my cabin was broke and amazingly, the next day when I returned from the hunt a brand new one was installed. That's not cheap. When I asked Koos on the price for animal my wife was going to gift me, he took a substantial amount off the price.

Like I said, I personally had a blast. Every question we asked him was truthfully answered and held true when we got there. The prices ended up being even lower than what we anticipated.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

I always question a person's intent when they make bold statements without providing proof. I will not question anyone's likes and dislikes, nor will I attempt to change anyone's mind or push my personal agenda. I will present my experience and knowledge. You will have to conduct your own due diligence to reach your conclusions. (Kind of like news reports many years ago.) We have hunted Africa 4 times with 6 different outfitters.

My hunting report from our month in Limpopo with 3 different outfits is posted here. One of the outfits was Kuche Safaris. I will address a few of the points discussed here.

The lodging. Ours was cozy, comfortable and clean. From our perspective, it was cleaner and better maintained than most Marriott and Hilton properties we have visited in the past few years. Mama keeps our house very clean, and I am retired military. We inspect a room and bathroom prior to unloading our suitcases. Anyone that has ever visited our home can vouch for that. Our cabin passed inspection. Also, we had electricity, water, and internet 100% of our stay.

The food. Mama is a formally trained chef, and she loves to cook. I love to eat. We love good food and I believe we are quite knowledgeable of good food. Anyone that has ever eaten Mama's cooking enjoyed it immensely. At Kuche, there was a continental style breakfast put out every morning. In addition, we were asked every morning if we would like eggs/bacon/sausage. We did request it some mornings. We ate in the field for lunch. Most of the time it was a sack lunch that was more than adequate. However, we did have a lovely picnic with an excellent game pie one day. Dinner was served when everyone returned, and it was buffet style. Sometimes it was later than other times, depending on when everyone returned. Dinner began with a prayer led by Koos or one of the PH's, and then women and children were asked to serve themselves while the men waited. (As it should be.) The food was from very good to excellent. Roberto never cooked the venison into biltong which is often the case. There was always more than enough food for people to get seconds. We did not "enjoy" the skinning shed odors unless we visited it.

The bar. The lodge offered beer and wine when we were there. If a client wanted hard liquor, someone would gladly get it for you.

The large camp atmosphere. It was our first time to be in a camp with so many other hunters. We did our due diligence and were aware that this was a large camp, and we went in with an open mind. It was very different, but it was a pleasant experience. There were a lot of family groups, and most were first time Africa hunters. We never saw any other hunters when we were in the field.

The animals. All of our animals were very nice. A monster warthog, 2 impala in the mid 20's, and a blesbok and bushbuck that were broomed and practically toothless. None of our animals had ear tag holes nor did any of the other clients' animals that we saw have ear tag holes. We did all spot and stalk. However, we did hear some clients requesting to hunt over a waterhole, or stating they have no problem shooting from the vehicle. Each to his own. We were hunting zebra on a property when we saw a monster blesbok. I told the PH to put up the sticks and one of us would take him. The PH said they had reached their limit on blesbok for that property so we had to let it go. I asked a lot of questions about harvest management and it is my understanding that the properties are managed and not just shot out.

Every evening at dinner, Koos or Kobus clearly stated to all that if there is anything you do not like, any problems or issues, please tell them immediately so it can be resolved/fixed/sorted.

Safe hunting

 

[R.M.C.]

I think I'd leave the thread up, it may help some first timer who doesn't know to ask how many hunters r in camp in a typical week. After going on some "bunk house" guided hunts in the US it's the first thing I consider when looking at a new place. Twenty thousand acres gets small real quick when there are 30 hunters . Plus I don't think it's the first negative review of them I've read. Just my two cents lol

 

[VertigoBE]

@gillettehunter and @Tundra Tiger : my reasoning is as follows: if someone has a genuine bad experience on which he or she elaborates, then by all means share it with the world.

The fact that Kuche has a business model geared more towards large groups and yes likely having to supplement from time to time their game population is perhaps not attractive to some, (definitely not myself) but it is a familiar sight in many SA operations.

Posting a largely unsubstantiated, undetailed cry for “Kuche is the worst” is just not helpful, likely inaccurate, reeks of a personal axe to grind, but will still have a detrimental effect on their business. They have no recourse either, as no one reads past three posts when they research Kuche online.

Imagine it was your business, someone posts a completely out of line review, while there are many others providing the opposite view. I would personally not be too happy.

Unless it is constructive, I’d rather give the benefit of the doubt to the one owning the business.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Twenty thousand acres gets small real quick when there are 30 hunters .

Once again. Off-base unless you've been. I have no agenda to push. Just trying to be fair.

ONE property, of the MANY they had access to, was 30,000 acres. For example, the day I was hunting there, 2 in my group were in another property an hour away hunting their target species. My kudu was shot on a property specifically arranged with my PH and Koos. We were the only hunters on it that day. It was huge, thick, and actually tough to hunt. But loaded with big kudu (and gemsbok) and I got my kudu in the end.

They had access to what seemed like many properties. My PH took me to his family's for one hunt because he was just driven to get me a good warthog.

Let's try to be fair with these statements.

EDIT: When we arrived there were close to 40 hunters in camp. 3-4 days in that number dropped to less than 20 (including us). Throughout the whole time there we rarely ran into other hunters.

 

[R.M.C.]

Once again. Off-base unless you've been. I have no agenda to push. Just trying to be fair.

ONE property, of the MANY they had access to, was 30,000 acres. For example, the day I was hunting there, 2 in my group were in another property an hour away hunting their target species. My kudu was shot on a property specifically arranged with my PH and Koos. We were the only hunters on it that day. It was huge, thick, and actually tough to hunt. But loaded with big kudu (and gemsbok) and I got my kudu in the end.

They had access to what seemed like many properties. My PH took me to his family's for one hunt because he was just driven to get me a good warthog.

Let's try to be fair with these statements.

EDIT: When we arrived there were close to 40 hunters in camp. 3-4 days in that number dropped to less than 20 (including us). Throughout the whole time there we rarely ran into other hunters.

I speak generally, I personally don't have any interest in hunting a place with 30 guys there even if there's plenty of PHs and staff. All I'm saying is, I'd want access to any and all opinions on an outfit before putting up a deposit. I kinda like places that only book one party at a time, regardless of how many are coming.

 

[375Fox]

I'm with Bruce. I think there is value to this thread beyond the worthlessness of what the original author shared. And based on the information shared by people who have had actual experiences with this outfitter, there is enough here to help someone make a decision about whether this outfitter works for what they want.

By the way... for those not wanting large groups, those situations exist. It's no secret I have been very happy with my two trips to @GAME 4 AFRICA SAFARIS, and one of those reasons is that I don't care for large groups. I believe they only take two groups at a time. During my last trip, a few weeks ago, they had a late cancellation and it was literally just little ol' me in camp for the whole ten days. I actually felt kinda guilty about all that incredible food being cooked for just me.

However, I'm a card carrying introvert. For some folks, a larger setting and more people is likely a part of the experience for them.

Just my early morning coffee deprived two cents...

I can see a bad situation occurring when there are 40 people in camp. To continue with your comparison. An outfitter that only takes let’s say 1-4 hunters at a time is a very repeatable experience. They will have consistent PHs and consistent properties lined up for the hunts. Going from 10 hunters one week to 40 the next can lead to an inconsistent experience. They will have to pick up PHs and properties and drop them again as soon as the number of hunters changes. Possibly pick up additional camp staff too. I’d really look into how PHs and properties get vetted at an operation like the one described. 40 is an insane number to me. I really can’t understand why anyone would subject themselves to this regardless of the cost.

 

[buck wild]

Come on with the details Schatzi or forever hold your peace.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

Nothing like building rapport and establishing a fan base with your first posting.

 

[HookMeUpII]

I can see a bad situation occurring when there are 40 people in camp. To continue with your comparison. An outfitter that only takes let’s say 1-4 hunters at a time is a very repeatable experience. They will have consistent PHs and consistent properties lined up for the hunts. Going from 10 hunters one week to 40 the next can lead to an inconsistent experience. They will have to pick up PHs and properties and drop them again as soon as the number of hunters changes. Possibly pick up additional camp staff too. I’d really look into how PHs and properties get vetted at an operation like the one described. 40 is an insane number to me. I really can’t understand why anyone would subject themselves to this regardless of the cost.

Once again, not my experience, at all. Looking back, it was super impressive how well they ran things. My PH was the best. Him and I got along well. He was driven by success and I wanted to be successful. I had my own PH, my uncle had his own PH, and my cousin and brother shared a PH. No one in camp, to my knowledge, had more than 2 hunters to a PH.

90% of the time it was my PH, his tracker, and I. We ran into my uncle once because they called us in. He blew out his back on an impala follow up stalk. We kept him company for a while as his PH and tracker were on hands and knees tracking a wounded impala, which they recovered, after a day and a half. What can you even say to that other than that's serious devotion to clientele. To my understanding, it is very hard to get called in to PH with Kuche. That was the rumor we heard from another PH who had been trying for 6 years to get "the call" and he finally did.

Once again, I have no vested interest with them. They provided a great experience, at a great cost, with superb hospitality and that deserves some follow up with truthful accounts.

 

[Rubberhead]

I can name this tune in 2½ words...

Disgruntled ex-employee...

 

[375Fox]

Once again, not my experience, at all. Looking back, it was super impressive how well they ran things. My PH was the best. Him and I got along well. He was driven by success and I wanted to be successful. I had my own PH, my uncle had his own PH, and my cousin and brother shared a PH. No one in camp, to my knowledge, had more than 2 hunters to a PH.

90% of the time it was my PH, his tracker, and I. We ran into my uncle once because they called us in. He blew out his back on an impala follow up stalk. We kept him company for a while as his PH and tracker were on hands and knees tracking a wounded impala, which they recovered, after a day and a half. What can you even say to that other than that's serious devotion to clientele. To my understanding, it is very hard to get called in to PH with Kuche. That was the rumor we heard from another PH who had been trying for 6 years to get "the call" and he finally did.

Once again, I have no vested interest with them. They provided a great experience, at a great cost, with superb hospitality and that deserves some follow up with truthful accounts.

If the four of you return, I’ll be very interested to hear if you have the same 3 PHs or if same 3 PHs even still work there. With 40 clients in camp, I would estimate that’s at least 30 PHs. I’m glad you had a great hunt, but you also have no other African hunts to compare it to. 30 PHs, 40 clients at one time, that’s a huge number of variables that don’t point to a consistent experience. Plains game trophies especially in South Africa are generally pretty easy to stack, it’s the smaller details that lead to a consistent experience. I hope the initial post is wildly exaggerated but I can see one person’s experience being very different than another’s by the week.

 

[375Fox]

I can name this tune in 2½ words...

Disgruntled ex-employee...

Maybe but the posts by Denvir Tire mostly align to the first post. Hopefully he will write a full report. The first post from OP carries no credibility without details.

 

[Rubberhead]

Maybe but the posts by Denvir Tire mostly align to the first post. Hopefully he will write a full report. The first post from OP carries no credibility without details.

It's was just to make people laugh. I read the first post, looked at the post count for the OP, and pretty much ignored things after that. Sorry, if the quirky humor didn't fall right.

 

[Mekaniks]

Kuche safari
Hunting in Africa is amazing if you go to the right outfitter, In my life time I have been to Africa 8 times,
This last month I was in South Africa at Kuche safari with my husband,
It was my husband first time, KUCHE SAFARI was the worst outfitter I have been to, THE LODGE WAS DIRTY AND THE FOOD WAS HORRIFIC, ACTUALLY THERE WAS NO FOOD

In the morning we got DRY CEREAL black coffee, DINNER was at 9 pm and the food was chicken
lasagna ,,,,,
THE STAFF ARE AMAZING ,,,,,

The hunting was below standard, hardly any animal, the owner of the Outfitter is not a person you want to deal with cause he is a liar

PLEASE DON'T WAIST YOUR MONEY,

@Schatzi your credibility, if you had any, is going down in flames if you do not follow up with a comprehensive hunt report, sooner rather than later……
In the mean time I think it would be good if Kuche Safaris could shed a little light on the scene…..

 

[Tundra Tiger]

@Mekaniks ... teeny tiny quibble of your post. Your use of present tense for the verb, regarding credibility. At this point it's going to take a 4th quarter Hail Mary to keep that from being past tense.